In an embarrassing development for the Narendra Modi government and its controlled Delhi police, nearly 500 academicians, economists and scholars of international repute have extended their support to the arrested leader of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kanhaiya Kumar.

Among those who have singed the ‘solidarity statement’ are scholars from Yale, SOAS in London, Cambridge University, University of Chicago and the list goes on. (See the statement and list below.) (Source Kafila.org)

“We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the students, faculty and staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi against the illegal ongoing police action since February 9, 2016. With them, we affirm the autonomy of the university as a non-militarized space for freedom of thought and expression. Accordingly, we condemn police presence on campus and the harassment of students on the basis of their political beliefs.

The charge of sedition, under the guise of which the police have been given a carte blanche to enter the JNU campus, to raid student hostels, arrest and detain students, including Kanhaiya Kumar, the current president of the JNU Students Union, is an alibi for the incursion of an authoritarian regime onto the university campus. Under Indian law sedition applies only to words and actions that directly issue a call to violence. The peaceful demonstration and gathering of citizens does not constitute criminal conduct. The police action on JNU campus is illegal under the constitution of India.

An open, tolerant, and democratic society is inextricably linked to critical thought and expression cultivated by universities in India and abroad. As teachers, students, and scholars across the world, we are watching with extreme concern the situation unfolding at JNU and refuse to remain silent as our colleagues (students, staff, and faculty) resist the illegal detention and autocratic suspension of students. We urge the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University to protect members of the university community and safeguard their rights.”

Dated/- 15 February 2016

Asma Abbas, Bard College at Simon’s Rock

Syed Shahid Abbas, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, U.K.

Gilbert Achcar, SOAS, University of London

Katie Addleman, University of Toronto

Barun Adhikary, JNU

Aniket Aga, Yale University

Ashish Aggarwal, (JNU 2012)

Aftab Ahmad, (JNU 2000), Columbia University

Aijaz Ahmad, University of California, Irvine

Meena Alexander, City University of New York

Nosheen Ali, Habib University

Tariq Omar Ali, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign

Liyanage Amarakeerthi, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Harini Amarasuriya, Open University of Sri Lanka

Eyal Amiran, UC Irvine, California, USA

Dibyesh Anand, University of Westminster

Sundari Anitha, (JNU 1996), University of Lincoln Brayford Pool

Ponni Arasu, (JNU 2005), University of Toronto

Jayadev Athreya, University of Washington

Anjali Arondekar, University of California, Santa Cruz

Saurabh Arora, University of Sussex

Edward Anderson, (JNU 2009), Cambridge University

Abdul Kalam Azad, TISS-UNICEF

Edward Bacal, University of Toronto

Nandita Badami, (JNU 2011), University of California Irvine

Shiladitya Banerjee, University of Chicago

Amit R. Baishya, (JNU 2003), University of Oklahoma

Anirban Baishya, (JNU 2013), University of Southern California

Aparna Balachandran, (JNU 2000), University of Delhi

Sai Balakrishnan, Harvard University

Ian Balfour, York University

Jairus Banaji, (JNU 1975) SOAS, London

Murad Banaji, University of Middlesex

Sandeep Banerjee, McGill University

Sreenanti Banerjee, Birkbeck, University of London

Anustup Basu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Arani Basu, (JNU 2015), Humboldt University

Ananyo “Tito” Basu, American Cooperative School of Tunis

Priyanka Basu, (JNU 2011), SOAS, London

Srimati Basu, University of Kentucky

Subho Basu, (JNU 1988), McGill University

Lalit Batra, University of Minnesota

Daniel Bender, University of Toronto

Ankur Betageri, IIT-Delhi

Madhav Badami, McGill University

Sukanya Banerjee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Homi Bhabha, Harvard University

Gurminder K Bhambra, University of Warwick/Linnaeus University

Brenna Bhandar, SOAS, University of London

V. Bhaskar, (JNU 1981, JNUSU President 1981), University of Texas at Austin

JNU students are spoiled brats, surviving and sucking tax payers money and part time doing anti-national activities. It hurts a lot that we have gone through so much pain paying high fees south here in karnataka to get good education and do good to our country and family. We never asked why so much fees inspite of unable to see parents pay it with so so much difficulties. The JNU students are idiots who have no understanding of how it feels to get educated by hard earned money, instead these suckers are free loaders who know only to strike instead of reading and making use of the chance given to them. They can do all these when they are out, not freely sucking on tax payers money.

Always wondered all life why cant education be free, But if these are the kinds of students India gets because of free education, then thanks god we dont have free education for all in India. These *** students are disgrace.

What a stupid opinion. Taxes? When the lakhs of crores are being eaten up bvy Modi’s masters Ambani, Adani and coterie, when all the big banks have had bad debt write offs in the tune of billions, and you blame students for exercising their right to free thought?
You are a pathetic upper caste Hindu fanatic. I wish you would get your head out of your sacred ass and breathe some oxygen. Its good for you.

You are absolutely right! The students indulging in negative/violent/destructive political activities in college campuses where they get free/subsidized education at the cost of the tax-payer will only be a liability for the State!If they had to take ‘education loan’ to study, they wouldn’t be indulging in the kind of unproductive activities they are presently engaged in.It is only leftists,islamists and crosstians who are supporting some misguided youths to become Maoists, Naxalites or other extremists who are a threat to peace-loving citizens!

How much worth was it you ? How many grands is it for a sign ?
Who all from all these sorry excuse for a human being are prepared to appreciate and accept anti-national slogans against their own Nations ????
All those who have signed this are Nothing More than bunch of Eunuchs who are paid to dance on the tunes by the media controllers all over the world ! When I call these people Eunuchs its more of an insult to the Eunuchs than to these insects !!!

What is anti-social? Eh? Students engaging in critical discussions about caste, class, violence, communalism, all this is anti-national to you clowns.
Problem is you guys always had no understanding of liberal arts or humanities – you always assumed your maths, science, engineering knowledge is all there is.
Nonsense. Students have a right to critical thinking, and fools like you will not stop them.

We support Indian Government that has every right to protect the citizens of India from terrorists, its supporters like JNUSU,. The Supreme Court of India is the final arbiter in all cases of antinational activity. The Americans should stick to the carnage of African Amricans at the hands of citizens and police, let them get justice for these Americans who have been oppressed for centuries by the Whites.

Naveen Chandra – you see how African Americans need justice against white supremacy. Good. Same way hundreds of millions of Dalits and Muslims need justice against the Hindutva-Brahmanic combine. So stop spreading fallacies about JNU and open your mind to the possibility of good sense.

I am sitting in my living room in Toronto, Canada. I am watching the JNU SU demonstrations on my computer. I hear the slogans-Free Kerala, Free Bengal,Free Kashmir, India ki barbadi, Pakistan zindabad, afzal will create afzal in every house, India tukde karenge etc.. First of all these are anti – national slogans. It has nothing to do with Dalits. That is a different issue. In the US there are no reservations, Dalits have reservations. They are given chances for advancement. Maybe they are not as much as you want. But are you prepared to breakup India for your own advancement? You can always negotiate terms. The Constitution guarantees that right. I empathize with you. But India comes first.Without India there are no reservations. If Pakistan occupies no Dalits will remIn.In Telugu there is poet called Gurajada who wrote “forget little bit of selfishness. do some thing for the country. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. You may not feel like I do. But don’t put words in my mouth, don’t draw conclusions not evidence based. When are well going to sit down and dialogue like rational people? My father and my father-in-law both studied under street lamps of Hyderabad city. We are Brahmins. I never persecuted any dalit, Now there are rich dalits and dirt poor Brahmins.How long are you going to hold grudges? Not all Brahmins persecuted dalits.

That video was doctored by ABVP. The real speech was about Garibi se Azadi, it was doctored.
In any case if Azad Kashmir was a slogan (IT WAS NOT!), even if, then so what? Is that enough to go and try to lynch students? Bloody pathetic sanghi lafanges sitting in Canada and promoting Hindu terrorism.
This has EVERYTHINg to do with Dalit rights – because the student protests started after the institutional murder of Rohit Vemula. Say his name fool, say it.

And secondly, just because your father studied under a lamp does not give you any damn right to deny poor students en education by spreading malicious hate speech against them. Brahmins are part of this damn problem, and they have benefited from thousands of years of terrorism against Dalits. Be ashamed, and make a change.

Yes, really. I have neither seen nor heard of atrocities by brahmins against dalits. It is unfortunate that people have managed to brainwash a society against a particular community spreading rumors and falsities. Probably jealousy is at play!

What isnyour name? Why are you diding behind the facade of secularism? Do you know what secularism is? I was very polite and you come back with rude remarks. With people like you no wonder you lose friends. I studied Rohit case and wrote an articel. So many lies spread about Rohit who was not even a dalit he was vaddera caste member who mloied to get scholarship. These are your morals. You are probably a radical with no guts to reveal your name.

Where is your article? Share it. You are a liar to claim he was not a Dalit. Sanghis want to undermine his sacrifice by making such stupid claims because they want to deny that Dalits are oppressed and brutally suppressed in the university of Hyderabad. Yes, I am rude to you because you have a political agenda – a saffron agenda. I know you guys are all trolls who land anywhere there is a serious discussion.

Your name you coward! Are u a terrorist , irrational as usual, seeing things that don’t exist. I am your friend if you are dalit. NRIs contribute to donations for all causes some of them may reach dalits. I am not you enemy. You are so confused or catatonic. I am not RSS you idiot. I empathize with your cause. Not anti nationalism, or sedition, or terror, or treason.Muslims ruled India for 900 years, why didn’t they become rich under their own rulers. They sucked up to British and they didn’t get anything from them? Look you are all Indians. You have to live together and make India a great country. Doesn’t help calling names and making statements totally irrational. With this attitude you will lose friends. But that is not important to you. Some Chief Ministers in Andhra Pradesh were Dalits. How come they did not help their own? Can you explain. Brahmins are brainy so they advanced. Dalits have advanced too. There were central ministers who were dalits. How come Rohit fought with Dalit students union, with othe runions, why he beat up other students? This is not propaganda.

And you sit in Canada and want to promote Hindu Rashtra! Would you live in Canada under a white supremacist Nazi government? No, you will cry for equality. But you sit there, eat the fruits of equality with your upper caste arrogance, and demand that India be a fascist society where Muslims and Dalits can be brutalized? That my friend is what makes so many NRIs such inveterate assholes.

These so called intellectuals are probably liberal cronies. Let them state their views and support. India must protect itself against subversives that come disguised as academicians, NGO’s, religious charitable organizations, AID.

And whose crony are you? Sanghi? India is a country of 1.2 billion people. You or your khaki chaddi coterie does not have exclusive rights to define India. We will fight for a better India, you express your opinions, but do not for one second dare to stop us from expressing ours. Samjhe?

Those crowing about “anti India” let me ask you this: is cxelebrating Nathuram Godse anti-India? Is praising Savarkar anti-India? Is saluting th eflag of anti-Indian RSS fascists, is that anti-India?
What are you guys talking about when you condemn students for speaking out against the horrors of the Indian state?
You need to educate yourselves about history and the nation state before venting your toxic anger against students of JNU!

Horrors of the Indian state….. this once you seem out of you mind….. ‘Horrors.’ …. are you nuts…… India in one of the most lenient countries…. where are you brother … wake up…. anyone talking with hatred for india will be stopped…..

Solidarity of morons. I wonder if these 500 people have the nerve to write to President of United States about freedom of expression in their opinion about killing the terrorists of 9/11 attacks. I am sure they all would have got deported or jailed because what they are saying is supporting terrorism indirectly. This is not a debate of patriotism and anti-national. It is becoming as a debate between sensibility and stupidity. The elite schools should be ashamed of having these morons.

On the contrary, it is a big embarrassment for this journal because the truth is concealed. Why do you practice such dubious journalism? Why not come out and say that sedition was being advocated by the son of a terrorist? Also want to know if any of these guys, including Sheldon Pollock, will sign a petition in support of the Oregon dude? Mr. Pollock will not do anything that goes against the interests of his country and his work shows the deep contempt he has for India. So there is nothing to lose for him here. The other Indians, signing this, is nothing knew. Years of selling out have kept the country poor which is why they have to pander to this nonsense to keep their jobs and do waqt ki roti going in the West.

Anybody who speaks against the country is in the wrong…. these are tough times…. nobody tells us Indians what to do…. signing petitions against india will not work anymore…. we were and are better and can manage our problems ourselves…. these are not times of concessions…. the stakes are high indeed and the maximum harsh punishment has to be mended out to traitors….. America or Britain are nobody to tell us about what we do….. they had better mind their own problems…..

they are mostly indians. who are observing india from a distance. Has situation turned so bad that we can’t even give their opinions a fair chance?
“Anybody who speaks against the country is in the wrong”. That is what happened in nazi germany, italy and ussr and mao’s china and khmer rouge. Are you really blind to clues?

These ppl are just either JNU alumni now living or teaching abroad, or some of their friends there forcibly convinced by random quotes from some books. The header is as fake as this news itself. These socialist cronies are really hard nuts to crack. They will never realize their mistake. All they know is argue by quoting some random books on anarchism. They should stop reading now. Or they must start reading Swami Vivekananda.

This gang of islamists, leftists and Vatican stooges who owe their position to their anti Hindu anti Indian ideology and their foreign masters did the same thing against Modi, India, and pro Hindu pro Indian organisations. Let us tell them to get lost and look into their beloved Vatican, Saudi Arabia, and communist china

Dear all 500 : As you mentioned “freedom of thought and expression” so just imagine If I “A Right Minded Indian” say to you “Fuck you all, Go & Fuck in your Mom. you have no business in India”. How will you feel. I hope it will very much disgust you. In the same way If some Junk Minded students Says “Bharat ki baarbadi tak yeh jung rahegi” & “Praise a Terrorist like Afzal Guru” in Indian Soil so just imagine How the Indian Sentiment will react or respond… This is what happening. If you have any knowledge about “Freedom of Speech – As per our Constitution” then you shouldn’t have signed the letter… I saw there are few who are from London & Other european country so just ask your GOVT what they would have done if same things goes there…

Anyways don’t take my above mentioned slang personally that was just an example.

Obviously the entire world will be interested in the dismemberment of India and economic, social and political ruin of India. Nothing alarming in this. Only the weak look for acceptance by others while the strong can stand alone – China is but a great example of this – it does whatever it wants in national interest and cares a damn for what others think, meanwhile we in India still cower before the west and seek their acceptance for everything we do – 300 years of colonial rule has enslaved us in our DNA itself – we must be having a slave element in our DNA by now. In any case the issue is sub-judice now and a trial by media and publications such as yours in unwarranted…unless you have no faith in the judicial process and rule of law.

Are they NRIs or traitors of this country better to rename these people as NRTs. There are videos available as evidences, students themselves have also accepted it. When parliament was attacked did these raise any concerns then why are they doing it now if the same would have happened in a developed country will such non residential citizens speak the same no all this is accepted only in India.

The signatories of this follow the example of JNU Students and shout slogans against the governments of the countries they are residing in and are they prepared to face the consequences. It is felt that the signatures were appended without application of mind.

Let 1000 or 10,000 people sign for solidarity, it does n’t matter. If you talk against my motherland you will be punished in way which will be an example for all the traitors!!! “जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी – mother and motherland are greater than heaven”

The list seems to be fake, if genuine, the world has full of fools in the name of scholars..if they are scholars, what are terrorists……Other way, these are anti-India terrorists sleeper cells who wake just to defame India.. Majority of names are from terroristic religion so their inclination against India is natural. They are supporting Khan-aya as he is terrorist..

JNU is India’s lal masjid (like pukistan LAL MASJID) where antinationals are flourishing.. some teachers work as sleeper cells for terrorists like khan-aya or Khalid…the govt should strongly do combing operation within JNU and identify the terrorist supporter teachers and students… they should be tried like any antinational… and the enemy of the land..

What a stupid and biased news…There are many scholars like me (Researcher in UK) are against Kanhiya Kumar but this paid media never show this news such a high class of biased and by the way I contact with some professor about this and they are saying they did not signed this….if you want you can also send them email and ask .. what a good way to fool people…Lolz.. but this technique will not work on ppl like me.. you presstitute

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